# PLEASE HELP - cigars in humidor ruined?? New smoker needs help



## Ninjalovegod (Sep 15, 2013)

Hi Fellow Cigar Lovers!!

I fell in love with cigars this year, and in keeping with my new passion I got a humidor and started collecting cigars a couple of months ago!

After my humidor settling in at 70% I stocked it up with about 40 cigars and all went well for a while. However in the last week all my cigars taste 'off'. I suspected it was my palette and tried some tubed cigars not from my humidor, these tasted pleasant so I limited the problem down to cigars coming from my humidor.

All these cigars have the exact same metallic bitter taste, and I can barely stand more than a couple of puffs, even from my favourite CC's.

The variables that I am suspecting that changed when my cigars went bad is 1) I bought a box of 10 Inka Secret Blend cigars and put these in my humidor, but after smoking one the taste was harsh and now I suspect that somehow they contaminated the rest, or 2) my RH 70% beads, I have used to many for the volume of my humidor and I can't recall whether I used DW or tap water, though my cigars were find after swapping from my humidifier to my beads roughly 4 weeks ago.

I have some lovely BHK's and limited edition CC's that I really want to save but I just don't know what's happened?? 

Any input would be hugely appreciated :-(


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## GoJohnnyGo (Nov 19, 2011)

The general consensus around here is that CCs smoke better closer to 60% rh. I would recommend lowering your rh letting your cigars acclimate for a few weeks/months and then seeing how they taste. I doubt you've done any real damage to the smokes Ad I wouldn't worry too much. You are at a higher risk for mold at 70% rh. Good luck!


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## A.McSmoke (Jan 9, 2013)

Exactly what GoJohnnyGo says. 70%(wet) cigars will always be a bit bitter. The flavor of most NCs & CCs will be best at 62-65%. Get yourself some 65% beads as your earliest convenience. 

Be sure that you always use Distilled Water as well. If you accidentally used tap water, this could explain the metallic flavor in your cigars. I recommend you toss all of those beads immediately, and your cigars will be ok until you get new media. 

Hope everything works out!


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## sligub (Apr 6, 2011)

Hi, Kris. Welcome from just up the road in Orkney.

I would agree with the guys above about dropping the humidity, do you have a digital hygrometer and have you salt tested it?


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## Ninjalovegod (Sep 15, 2013)

Hi guys!

Thanks for the input!

I have a hairline hygrometer that was salt calibrated. I also have digital hygrometer individually salt calibrated to be sure. Both are at 70% atm.

I have just ordered 65% RH beads, will get the humidity down and give the cigars some time. Fingers crossed, so many in there I'm itching to smoke haha!

Kris


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## madbricky (Mar 29, 2013)

Get a bag of Exquisicat unscented crystal kitty litter from Petco. Take a few pounds and spread it out on a cookie sheet covered with foil and dry it out in the oven at 200-250°f for a half an hour at first. Cooled off put some in a freezer ziplock bag with a hygrometer looking for it to hit 60% rh. I then use part of that batch in a nylon stocking to keep my humi's at 62%. It is just like a desiccant bag when dried like this to hold lower rh%, or by misting with distilled water to hold it higher than 67% which is the out of the bag native % for silica chips kitty litter. I keep about 7 lbs in each of my large bin-eador humi's as cheap insurance that they will always be in the mid 60s % rh even if I did nothing to lower it. One nylon bag of 1lb sitting on top either dried or moisturized depending on prevailing conditions of the room let's me lower things or raise in a hurry, as this KL silica is highly absorbent or moisturizing. 
This stuff works no debate about it and my smokes rest quicker and smoke better at 62%rh now.


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## madbricky (Mar 29, 2013)

Welcome to Puff by the way! I see your in the UK so I cannot say where to find unscented silica kitty litter. I hope you get your smokes fixed and enjoy yourself at Puff brother!


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## knilas (Sep 15, 2013)

I agree with what has been posted previously. Hope it all works out...especially for the BHK's and CC's! Keep us informed. my man!


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

As others have stated, you would be well advised to lower the RH in your storage. Not sure where the RH is where you are living but where I am, the outside RH is usually above 70% for all but the couple of weeks we have for winter.My cigars seem to smoke better at or below 65%. If they are at or above 70%. it may take some time to get them down to below 65% but you will probably be amazed at how well they smoke at the lower RH.


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## alexcue (Mar 6, 2013)

This is the best thing you can do. Find some unscented crystal kitty litter. You may not believe in it, but it does work in lowering the humidity. I've used it in conjunction with HCM and HF beads. Alone they couldn't dry out my Fresh sticks i was loading up on. Once I added the KL, they had a fighting chance. I think you'll find they taste and smoke better, just have to be patient to bring them down.



madbricky said:


> Welcome to Puff by the way! I see your in the UK so I cannot say where to find unscented silica kitty litter. I hope you get your smokes fixed and enjoy yourself at Puff brother!





madbricky said:


> Get a bag of Exquisicat unscented crystal kitty litter from Petco. Take a few pounds and spread it out on a cookie sheet covered with foil and dry it out in the oven at 200-250°f for a half an hour at first. Cooled off put some in a freezer ziplock bag with a hygrometer looking for it to hit 60% rh. I then use part of that batch in a nylon stocking to keep my humi's at 62%. It is just like a desiccant bag when dried like this to hold lower rh%, or by misting with distilled water to hold it higher than 67% which is the out of the bag native % for silica chips kitty litter. I keep about 7 lbs in each of my large bin-eador humi's as cheap insurance that they will always be in the mid 60s % rh even if I did nothing to lower it. One nylon bag of 1lb sitting on top either dried or moisturized depending on prevailing conditions of the room let's me lower things or raise in a hurry, as this KL silica is highly absorbent or moisturizing.
> This stuff works no debate about it and my smokes rest quicker and smoke better at 62%rh now.


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## Ninjalovegod (Sep 15, 2013)

First and foremost, big thanks for everyone's input! 

I have now lowered the humidity to about 62%, I will keep the humidity a around 60-65% going forward. I will wait a couple of weeks before trying one of the cigars again, hopefully the metallic taste will be gone. 

All the info has really been appreciated, and in the meantime I bought a box of cigars to keep me going while my babies are resting up 

Kris


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## goatking (Sep 5, 2013)

Yes, I am glad I held out and went to the store to pick up a gallon of distilled water. Just put my smokes in earlier this week they will need some time before they dance


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

Hi Kris,

Good advice so far. When you get your Heartfelt Humidity Beads, you'll likely want to ensure they're completely dry before installing them. To do this, remove them from whatever container they come in; tube, puck, brick, bag, and place them in an oven safe bowl, or pan. Make sure whatever you put them in is absolutely clean. Place them in the oven at 250 F for about an hour and allow the oven to cool to touch before removing them. So to avoid your beads collecting any ambient moisture, replace them quickly into their container and immediately into the humidor and close.

Beads will work much faster than cat litter at both absorbing as well as evaporating moisture, but the trick to absorption is ensuring they're completely dry first. Heartfelt say that when the beads are white, they're dry and need to be charged. Experience has taught me that this isn't completely true and that even when while, the beads still hold a lot of water.

As mentioned, wet cigars do taste bitter and I hope that's your only issue. Make absolutely certain that you're using distilled water. If you're not certain, you might consider allowing your humidor to dry out, so to evaporate any residual tap water from the wood and reseason it, just to be safe.

Best of luck, mate.


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## TheSonman (Nov 23, 2021)

Ninjalovegod said:


> Hi Fellow Cigar Lovers!!
> 
> I fell in love with cigars this year, and in keeping with my new passion I got a humidor and started collecting cigars a couple of months ago!
> 
> ...


OMG I am in the same boat. I thought I covid or something. Overnight, I lit a favorate stogie and it tasted just as you said. I lit 2 more different but all in my humidor at 71%rh I think they all caught up to each other because they all have a metallic taste. I am doing the same and dropping the humidity. Lord I hope they can recover. I have spent hours researching and just happened on this post. Fingers crossed. With me luck. What a bummer


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